Melinda French Gates hints Bill Gates’ Jeffrey Epstein links led to their divorce, says 'it brings back memories of some very, very painful times...'

Melinda French Gates, the ex-wife of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, has addressed the latest documents released from the Justice Department's investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. During a podcast with NPR, Melinda French Gates said Bill Gates needs to answer for the behavior alleged in the latest batch of files released in connection with the Epstein files. "For me, it's personally hard whenever those details come up, right? Because it brings back memories of some very, very painful times in my marriage," French Gates said in an interview on NPR's Wild Card podcast.

"Whatever questions remain there of what — I can't even begin to know all of it — those questions are for those people and for even my ex-husband," she said. "They need to answer to those things, not me."

The philanthropist told the host that her reaction was one of "unbelievable sadness," according to the video clip posted by NPR. "I think we're having a reckoning as a society, right? No girl should ever be put in the situation that they were put in by Epstein and whatever was going on with all of the various people around him," French Gates said. "No girl. It's just beyond heartbreaking."


French Gates, who finalized her divorce from Gates in 2021, said the details in the latest files brought back memories of "some very, very painful times" of her marriage. "I am so happy to be away from all the muck that was there," French Gates said, adding that she felt she "had to leave" her marriage and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

"I'm able to take my own sadness and look at those young girls and say, 'my God, how did that happen to those girls'?" she told NPR. "At least for me, I've been able to move on in life, and I hope there's some justice for those now-women."

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Bill Gates name appeared in Epstein files

Bill Gates is one of many influential people mentioned by name in the 3 million newly released pages of Epstein's personal communications. The allegations about Bill Gates were included in more than three million documents released last week by the US Department of Justice. Two emails from 18 July 2013 appear to have been drafted by Epstein, but it is unclear if they were ever sent to Gates.

One email is written as a resignation letter from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and complains about having had to procure medicine for Bill "to deal with the consequences of sex with Russian girls".

Records released by the US justice department include an allegation by Epstein that Bill Gates caught a sexually transmitted disease. In emails, Epstein wrote that Bill Gates had come to him to facilitate trysts with married women and to get medication to treat an STI from "sex with Russian girls."

A spokesperson for Bill Gates has told NPR, "These claims are absolutely absurd and completely false. The only thing these documents demonstrate is Epstein's frustration that he did not have an ongoing relationship with Gates and the lengths he would go to entrap and defame."

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Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates divorce

Bill Gates and Melinda French finalised their divorce in 2021 and they had been working on it since 2019. One factor in the demise of the Gateses’ 25-year marriage was revelations that Bill Gates had spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, CNN reported citing a journal.

Melinda Gates had concerns about her husband’s relationship with Epstein as far back as 2013, the former employee told the Journal. She met with divorce lawyers in 2019, saying at the time that her marriage was “irretrievably broken".

The couple officially announced their split on social media on May 3, 2021, saying, “We no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives.” Bill Gates was asked about his relationship with Epstein in a September 2019 interview. He said, “I met him. I didn’t have any business relationship or friendship with him.”